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Home , 2012 Ford EcoBoost 400, 2019 Quaker State 400, 2019 TicketGuardian 500, Federated Auto Parts 400, Mike Stefanik, Toyota Owners 400

NASCAR THIS WEEK 8 - THE DERRICK. / The News-Herald Wednesday, September 18, 2019

SPEED FREAKS QUESTIONS & ATTITUDE

A few questions we Compelling questions ... and had to ask ourselves RICHMOND maybe a few actual answers Truex Jr. at Vegas; who So much for momentum? might end victory drought at THREE THINGS TO WATCH Richmond? Actually, so much for lack of momen- GODSPEAK: How about Brad 1. Lotta work tum. Martin Truex Jr. hadn’t won Keselowski? He got the last since late June, and had finished of his three wins in early , between 13th and 27th in his last May. and will have to three regular-season starts. And he KEN’S CALL: double their efforts in the wins Vegas. hasn’t won hasn’t won since June 2, Joey next two starts to stay in since early June, has largely been Logano since June 9. If they the NASCAR playoffs. Jones off the rails since then, yet finishes aren’t the best bets, who is? brings up the rear in the second at Indy and leads the most playoff standings, 75 points laps at Vegas. It’s almost as if some If a non-playoff driver was to behind Martin Truex Jr. Just of the bigger teams know where to win a playoff race ...? ahead of Jones are Bowyer reach in the toolbox when the stakes GODSPEAK: I had a premoni- (minus 70) and Busch (-63). are higher. Hmmmm. tion that Matt DiBenedetto “I think we can still get in on would win Richmond, so I got points,” Jones said. “The gap RIP Mike Stefanik that going for me. is not too big to climb out KEN’S CALL: of. We need to run well, no NASCAR’s reach goes deep into the at Talladega, unless Jimmie worse than top-fives.” short-track heart of American racing. Johnson beats him to it at That includes the many modified Charlotte’s Roval. 2. Spread it around tracks and series, where Mike Ste- fanik was practically royalty. Stefanik, has a 61, died Sunday in a single-engine FEUD OF THE WEEK tendency to spread wins plane crash near the Rhode Island- around to different driv- Connecticut border. You’ll find many KYLE BUSCH VS. LAPPERS: ers. Since 2014, nine drivers longtime race fans, particularly from Kyle Busch was not happy have won at Richmond, but the Northeast, who swear there’s no with some of those drivers if you’re looking for a trend, racing like modified racing. And no affectionately known as Kyle Busch swept both races modified racer like Mike Stefanik, a “lappers.” He ran into one of in 2018, and Martin Truex Jr. seven-time national modified champ them in the closing laps at won the spring race there Erik Jones has a long walk ahead if he hopes to advance in the who will eventually land in NASCAR’s Las Vegas. “It killed our day,” this year. Since Truex became NASCAR playoffs. [AP/JOHN RAOUX] Hall of Fame. he said. the first driver to advance to GODWIN KELLY’S TAKE: Round 2, he has the luxury aero-engine package, restarts “Typical playoff restarts,” he Ken Willis, ken.willis Busch made a strong point of being able to take more have become a valuable said after Vegas. “Everything @news-jrnl.com after the race. “We are in the chances without suffering a factor to gain track position. is on the line and everyone is top echelon of motor sports knockout. It will likely come into play at trying to get all they can get. and we’ve got guys who have Richmond. That is part of the fun.” NASCAR CUP never won late model races,” 3. Restart madness used restarts to nab third STANDINGS he said. “It’s pathetic.” place at Vegas after start- Godwin Kelly, godwin. Because of the 2019 ing 18th in the No. 2 Ford. [email protected] 1. Martin Truex Jr. 2082 2. 2079 GODWIN’S PICKS 3. Joey Logano 2075 FOR RICHMOND 4. Kyle Busch 2063 5. Brad Keselowski 2058 WINNER: Kevin Harvick 6. 2057 REST OF TOP 5: Joey Logano, 7. 2056 Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., LAS VEGAS 8. 2044 Chase Elliott 9. William Byron 2040 FIRST ONE OUT: Ricky Sten- 10. 2039 house Jr. THREE THINGS WE LEARNED 11. 2037 DARK HORSE: Jimmie 12. 2033 Johnson 1. 52 percent 13. Ryan Newman 2027 DON’T BE SURPRISED IF: Har- 14. Kurt Busch 2019 vick wins just to avoid having How good is Joe Gibbs 15. Clint Bowyer 2012 to post a solid finish on the Racing? With Martin Truex 16. Erik Jones 2007 Charlotte Roval. Jr.’s playoff victory at Las 17. Daniel Suarez 672 Vegas, JGR has won 14 times 18. 635 through 27 races, or more 19. 598 M O T O R M O U T H S than half the total. All four 20. 573 PODCAST drivers have posted wins and advanced to the playoffs. We’ll soon throw open Truex now has five wins this WHAT’S ON TAP the Pod windows as we season and 24 in his career. (All times Eastern) toward the autumnal Martin Truex Jr. burns his rear tires after winning for car owner equinox. 2. Where you start Joe Gibbs at Las Vegas. [AP/CHASE STEVENS] CUP SERIES: SITE: Richmond Raceway (.75-mile Tune in online at Clint Bowyer went into the “We were just off — in all slapped the wall and finished oval) www.news-journalonline. Vegas race on a performance areas.” last in Sunday’s race, and SCHEDULE: Saturday, race (NBC com/daytonamotormouths high after he won his first Kyle tagged the wall on Lap Sports Network, coverage begins at 7 in 12 years. 3. Vegas strip 4, then tangled with a lapped p.m., green flag, 7:30 p.m.) After making contact with car. They have one Vegas Daniel Suarez on Lap 1 (of Las Vegas is the hometown of win — Kyle, who won in 2009. XFINITY: 267), Bowyer finished a lap Busch brothers Kyle and Kurt. SITE: Richmond Raceway down in 25th place. “We just The Speedway hasn’t been Godwin Kelly, godwin. SCHEDULE: Friday, race (NBC Sports weren’t very good,” he said. kind to the Busch boys. Kurt [email protected] Network, 7:30 p.m.)

2019 CUP SERIES April 7: Food City 500 at Bristol (Kyle June 30: at Chicago- Jones) SCHEDULE AND WINNERS Busch) land (Alex Bowman) Sept. 8: Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Feb. 10: Clash at Daytona (Jimmie April 13: Owners 400 at Rich- July 7: Coke Zero 400 at Daytona (Justin (Kevin Harvick) Johnson) mond (Martin Truex Jr.) Haley) Sept. 15: at Las Vegas Feb. 17: (Denny Hamlin) April 28: Geico 500 at Talladega (Chase July 13: Quaker State 400 at Kentucky (Martin Truex Jr.) Feb. 24: Folds of Honor 500 at Atlanta Elliott) (Kurt Busch) Sept. 21: Federated Auto Parts 400 at (Brad Keselowski) May 5: (Martin Truex Jr.) July 21: Foxwoods 301 at New Hamp- Richmond March 3: at Las Vegas May 11: Kansas 400 (Brad Keselowski) shire (Kevin Harvick) Sept. 29: Bank of America 500k at (Joey Logano) May 18: All-Star Race at Charlotte (Kyle July 28: Gander Outdoors 400 at Pocono Charlotte March 10: TicketGuardian 500 at Phoe- Larson) (Denny Hamlin) Oct. 6: Delaware 400 at Dover nix (Kyle Busch) May 26: Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Aug. 4: Go Bowling at Watkins Glen Oct. 13: 1000Bulbs.com 500 Talladega March 17: at Fontana (Martin Truex Jr.) (Chase Elliott) Oct. 20: at Kansas (Kyle Busch) June 2: Pocono 400 (Kyle Busch) Aug. 11: at Oct. 27: First Data 500 at Martinsville March 24: STP 500 at Martinsville (Brad June 9: FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michi- Michigan (Kevin Harvick) Nov. 3: AAA Keselowski) gan (Joey Logano) Aug. 17: Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race Nov. 10: Can-Am 500k at Phoenix March 31: O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at June 23: Toyota/Save Mart 350 at at Bristol (Denny Hamlin) Nov. 17: Ford EcoBoost 400 at Texas (Denny Hamlin) Sonoma (Martin Truex Jr.) Sept. 1: at Darlington (Erik Homestead-Miami

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